Keep It In The Family – Episode 29
Sarah smiled at her mother’s sudden look of dismay.“Goodness, I do see! I never thought of it like that! Your father was so proud of it, too! Can we change it?”Sarah grinned and nodded, and rose to fetch a folder from the bureau in the corner.“That’s the plan. I’ve actually been thinking about this for a while as part of my marketing course, playing with different ideas. A logo should be confident, dynamic and make a statement, and . . . well, look.” She slid a notepad out of the folder and leafed through it.“I wondered about ‘Willson’s: We Deliver’,” she said, showing them some lettering designs. “It means literally that we deliver goods, but also that customers can rely on us to get the job done. What do you think?”Joyce rose to peer at the sketches, and Sarah found a kiss being planted on top of her head before she sat down again.“I think it looks terrific. And I think I’m very lucky to have such a clever daughter,” Joyce said, and the three women laughed.“OK, so we’ve got our name and our new logo. If we’re relaunching this company, what do you think about diversifying a little?” Freya put in, and the other two turned to look at her with interest, Joyce noting the “we” with a warm sense of satisfaction.“What do you have in mind?” Sarah asked.“Well, if we’re using the coffee shop as an example, things picked up when I introduced the newspapers and magazines, and the craft leaflets. You know, offering added value through extras. So, in transport terms, that would come from something like, say, small vans for smaller loads and local deliveries?”None of the women had noticed the door opening, but there was a sudden clamour of voices as the others caught Freya’s words.“That is such a great idea!” Rosie exclaimed, coming into the room, while Adam beamed with pride.“Freya, you’re a genius! Isn’t she a genius?” he asked anyone who’d listen.As Freya blushed, Paul was nodding eagerly.“It’s so simple it’s brilliant!” he exclaimed. “I’ve taken calls myself from customers at Radley’s who didn’t need a truck to shift their goods, but we couldn’t offer them anything smaller.”“It wouldn’t even cost that much. We’d only need one van to start with, just to see if there’s the demand,” Freya suggested.Rosie looked at Adam, silently asking him a question. He gave a faint nod, then turned to Paul.“Looks like we’re going to need another driver. Want the job?”“You bet!” Paul agreed, grinning from ear to ear.“So . . .” Rosie’s gaze scanned the group. “Adam and I have worked out a new business plan to cut costs and increase revenues, and Sarah and Freya are in charge of marketing to get this firm back on the map. Do you think it’ll be enough to see off Radley’s?”“I’d say so,” Adam replied after due consideration. “Radley’s think we’ll be easy pickings, but if they see we’re ready for a fight, I think they’ll back off. What do you say, Mum?”Joyce looked around at their determined, hopeful faces, and was put in mind of a similar battle she and Martin had faced early in the life of the firm.“When we only had three trucks on the road, your father had big plans, but for a while we thought we were going to be bought over before we had a chance to make our mark. That was when you were still a baby, Adam.“But we did exactly what you’re doing: we worked out a plan, showed ourselves to be ready to do battle, and the other company backed down when they realised it would cost them a lot more than they’d bargained for to try to take us over.”Faces relaxed, smiles were exchanged, and Joyce could tell that everyone had the same feeling, as though they had formed a pact. They were all in this together, and together they would prevail. It was the Willson way.
